Each chapter in Gathering Up the Fragments describes a particular dimension of preaching as a spiritual practice and suggests a rule of life for preachers. Budde challenges pastors to be observant of those under their charge, prayerfully considering what God is saying to them individually and communally. A collection of sermons from throughout the church year is also included, demonstrating how to apply the techniques illustrated in this volume.

I write for all those parish pastors and priests who want to preach well, who long to speak with authority, clarity, and humility, and yet who feel, as I do, that there is simply never enough time in the week to do justice to the task. I write for those who feel at times overwhelmed by the responsibilities of our work, who wonder if it is possible, in parish ministry, to live a balancedlife. I write from that same place of struggle myself.
— from the Foreword

Mariann Edgar Budde shows how pastors can create a solid foundation for preaching by taking the fragments of their own life and ministry -- their studies, personal life experiences, and relationships with their congregation -- and weaving them together in a homiletic mosaic that will bring glory to God and illumination for themselves and their listeners. This book offers an approach to preaching that enables pastors to integrate the many competing claims of their lives, reflect deeply on the nature of their work, and sustain their intimacy with God. Budde believes that preaching is a form of art — a profoundly satisfying creative expression with intrinsic value, a gift from God that ministers offer back to the congregations they serve.

Mariann Edgar Budde is the diocesan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. She was consecrated as the ninth Bishop of Washington in the Washington National Cathedral on November 12, 2011.